“Marquis! I have confirmed the intelligence—all major trading houses in Jiangnan are hoarding cotton. The market is abuzz with rumors that cotton cloth prices are certain to soar next month!”
Xiao Jingyuan stood before his desk, lightly tapping the surface with his fingertips. Upon hearing this, his dark eyes brightened, and the tense aura around him eased slightly.
“Are you certain?”
“Absolutely certain!” the scout hurriedly replied. “Cotton merchants in Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Songjiang have all taken action. They are scrambling to purchase and hoard, waiting to sell at high prices next month!”
Ah Er stepped forward and said in a low voice, “Marquis, this is a golden opportunity. Once the cotton market in Jiangnan surges, as long as we hoard ahead of others, we can seize control of the Jiangnan cotton trade in one fell swoop. Not only will we make a huge profit, but we will also firmly establish our footing.”
A glint of determination flashed in Xiao Jingyuan’s eyes.
He had been eager to achieve success in Jiangnan, and now that such an opportunity lay before him, how could he hesitate?
“Good,” he ordered firmly. “Mobilize the Marquis’s Mansion’s available silver in Jiangnan to purchase cotton on a large scale. Spare no cost—hoard it all in the warehouses!”
“Yes, sir!”
Ah Er immediately accepted the order and left.
Xiao Jingyuan gazed out the window, a faint, confident smile curling at the corner of his lips.
Shen Gongzi, since you refuse to cooperate with this Marquis, I shall rely on my own abilities to conquer Jiangnan’s commerce.
…
In just a few days, the people of their Jing’an Marquisate had hoarded over half of Jiangnan’s cotton.
The manager in Jiangnan was in the study reporting to him on the profits they had earned from this venture.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingyuan was overjoyed. This was his first step since personally coming to Jiangnan. If he succeeded, he would gain superiority over others, whether in front of Shen Gongzi or anyone else.
“Excellent. You have all done very well this time. When the time comes, you will all be handsomely rewarded.”
At that moment, Ah Er rushed into the study, his face pale and his steps frantic.
“Marquis! Something terrible has happened! A disaster!”
Xiao Jingyuan’s expression darkened. “What are you panicking about? What happened?”
“The cotton… the cotton market has collapsed!” Ah Er’s voice trembled. “All the major cotton warehouses in Jiangnan opened simultaneously, flooding the market with an endless supply of cotton. Prices plummeted, falling again and again, and have already dropped below the cost price!”
Xiao Jingyuan’s pupils contracted sharply as he abruptly stood up. “What did you say?!”
The manager beside him, hearing Ah Er’s words, was so frightened that his legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the floor.
“We… we hoarded too much cotton, so just now…” Ah Er gritted his teeth. “The accounts have been calculated. In just a few days, Marquis, you have lost a full three hundred thousand taels of silver!”
“Three hundred thousand taels…”
Xiao Jingyuan felt as if struck by lightning, frozen in place.
The next second, overwhelming fury erupted.
“Bang—!”
He slammed his palm fiercely onto the desk, sending inkstones, brushes, and ink flying everywhere.
“Investigate! Go investigate immediately!” he roared, his dark eyes filled with sinister rage. “Who is manipulating the cotton market behind the scenes? Who set this trap for this Marquis?!”
Ah Er trembled all over, prostrating himself on the ground. “Marquis, I… I cannot find any traces.”
“All the cotton warehouses opened normally, and all the merchants sold their goods normally. There is not the slightest sign of human manipulation…”
“You found nothing?” Xiao Jingyuan trembled with anger, sweeping all the documents off the desk in one motion. Papers scattered everywhere like snowflakes.
“A bunch of useless fools!”
“Three hundred thousand taels of silver! A full three hundred thousand taels!”
“If you cannot even find a single clue, what use are you?!”
He clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white and cracking audibly.
Now he understood everything. Someone had set a trap for him.
“Damn it…”
He ground his teeth, the words almost squeezed out from between them.
This round, he had lost completely.
Lost all face.
Lost with a bellyful of rage, yet with nowhere to vent it.
The study in the courier station was in disarray, shattered porcelain and discarded papers scattered across the floor.
Xiao Jingyuan stood in place, his chest rising and falling slightly, his knuckles clenched white as he forcibly suppressed the fury that threatened to burst from within.
Three hundred thousand taels of silver was no small sum.
But he also knew that whoever could manipulate the cotton market so flawlessly, making him suffer such a heavy loss overnight, was no ordinary merchant.
A head-on clash would only lead to an even uglier defeat.
“Ah Er,” he spoke, his voice lowered so much it was almost inaudible, betraying no emotion yet sending chills down one’s spine.
“Marquis.”
“Prepare the carriage,” Xiao Jingyuan said slowly. “To Nianqing Ge.”
“Are you… going to confront Shen Gongzi?” Ah Er asked cautiously.
Xiao Jingyuan shot him a cold glance. “No. Since he has managed to establish himself in Jiangnan, he must have some means and connections. I am merely going to sound him out.”
…
Half an hour later, in the private room on the second floor of Nianqing Ge.
Shen Miao, still wearing the silver mask, sat calmly before the table brewing tea, her composure unshaken, showing no trace of panic.
Zhao Chengyu leaned lazily against the window, exuding a careless, roguish air. Watching Xiao Jingyuan enter, though his eyes held wariness, his face wore a faint, indifferent smile.
Xiao Jingyuan pushed the door open and entered, his expression revealing little emotion, though the aura around him was colder and heavier than usual.
He sat down opposite Shen Miao, his gaze calmly resting on her as if appraising an elusive artifact.
The room fell silent for a moment.
Xiao Jingyuan first picked up the teacup, took a light sip, then slowly spoke, his tone seemingly casual. “Today, I have come to seek your advice, Shen Gongzi.”
Shen Miao looked up, her voice light and clear. “Advice is too strong a word. Please speak, Marquis.”
“I wonder if Shen Gongzi knows who oversees the Jiangnan cotton cloth market?” Xiao Jingyuan lightly tapped the table with his fingertips, a faint smile on his lips, yet carrying a deeper meaning. “This person, who managed to turn the Jiangnan cotton market upside down in just a few days, certainly possesses great skill.”
“As for cotton cloth, I have also heard something, but…” Shen Miao’s expression remained unchanged. “The marketplace is like a battlefield; rises and falls are commonplace. The Marquis, having long been in the capital, may not be very familiar with the fluctuations of the Jiangnan market.”
With one sentence, she gently shifted the blame back to “his own poor judgment.”
Xiao Jingyuan’s eyes darkened slightly as he continued probing. “Fluctuations? Such a coordinated opening of warehouses, such identical steps—it seems more like someone orchestrating it from behind.”
Shen Miao replied calmly, “Jiangnan merchants have always stuck together. Once a trend appears, following it is the most ordinary thing.”
Xiao Jingyuan stared at her silver mask, that sense of familiarity surfacing in his mind once more.
Too calm, too steady, every word flawlessly delivered.
Suppressing the swirling suspicions in his heart, he softened his tone, extending an olive branch while also testing her limits. “Shen Gongzi, you are an intelligent person. This individual has moved three hundred thousand taels of mine. Although three hundred thousand taels is not a crippling blow to me, it is enough to make one thing clear—”
“I, too, can play this game in Jiangnan.”
Shen Miao looked up, her eyes unruffled. “What does the Marquis mean to say?”
“The cotton market, grain market, caoyun.” Xiao Jingyuan’s voice was low: “Working together would benefit both of us.”
He was waiting.
Waiting for her to reveal a flaw, waiting for her to show greed, waiting for her to show a hint of hesitation.